Ments



(No Model.)

0. P. HIX.

GAR GOUPLING.-

Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

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Inventor I wit,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER PERRY HIX, OF ROOKLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO SAID HIX, ADDISON OLIVER, DAVID N. MORTLAND, AND GALEN F. HIX, ALL OF SAME PLACE.-

CAR-COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,267, dated February 22, 1887.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER PERRY Hrx, of Rockland, in the county of Knox, of the State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Oar Couplings; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top View, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, of a draw or bunter bar pro vided with my improved coupling, the nature of which is defined in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 3 is a top view, and Fig. 4. an edge View, of its shackling-yoke. Fig. 5 is a top view, and Fig. 6a side elevation, of the latching-lever. Fig. 7 is a top view, and Fig. 8 aside view, of the coupling-hook. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the draw-bar, showing the positions of the coupling-hook, the yoke, and the latching-lever of the coupler of one car for being coupled with that of another car whose parts would in such case have positions as shown in Fig. 2.

My present car-coupling in some respects is analogous to that described and represented in the United States Patent No. 308,611, dated December 2, 1884, and granted on an invention made by myself. Instead of having a slotted shacklii1g-lever-sucl1 as shown in said patent-to operate with the coupling-hook, I now have a shackling-yoke and a latchinglever which turn on a common fulcrum or pivot.

In the drawings, A denotes the draw or bunter bar, which is suitably chambered to receive within it and allow to properlyoperate a hook, B, the yoke O, and the latchinglever D. The couplinghook 13, instead of being pivoted near its rear end to the draw-bar, is fulcrumed near its middle to such bar, the pivot or pin on which the hook turns being shown at a. The hook, directly below the said pin a, extends downward, as shown at d, and is there provided with an angular notch or recess, b, to receive the rear arm of the latching-lever D, the front arm of such lever being inclined at an obtuse angle to the rear arm and furnished with a stop or stud, c, for the shackling-yoke to bring up against when in its lowest position. The said shackling-yoke, formed as represented, straddles the latchinglever and turns on its pivotal pin, all being arranged as shown. V

In connecting two cars furnished with my improved coupling, the rear arm of the latching-lever of each is first to be drawn downward, so as to throw such latching-lever out of engagement with its hook B, in which case the said hook, by the weight of its longer arm, will be moved into the position shown in Fig. 9, the yoke having in the meantime been raised by the latching-lever into the pos tlon shown in said figure. While one car is in movement toward the other the higher coupling-yoke will meet the upper surface of the lower one, and riding up thereon will be forced against the hook, so as to move it on its fulcrum in a manner to cause it to engage with the yoke forced against it, and also to move away from the locking-lever, so as to allow the latter, by the weight of its yoke, to be moved upward into the notch of the hook, and in so doing to latch the hook in engagement with the yoke into which it may have fallen.

By means of the latching-lever the hook will be prevented-whilethe cars may be in mo tioh-from becoming accidentally uncoupled, as experience has proved they are, liable to be with the coupler of my said patent.

I would remark that in practice the rear arm of the latching-leveris to be suitably connected with one or more levers, properly arranged, in order to enable the said lever-arm to be moved downward by a person without the necessity of his going between the cars and being endangered, or liable to be injured thereby.

In some cases Ihave a staple, E, to straddle the rear arm of the latching-lever, and to be fixed in the draw-bar, such staple being to ar rest the arm on its being sufficientl y depressed.

I claim- 1. The combination of the yoke, the latching-lever, and the notched hook, constructed and arranged in a draw-bar substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the chambered drawand the latching lever arranged with and bar, with the notched hook, and the yoke and I the latching-lever arranged and pivoted within such draw-bar, and constructed to operate 5 substantially as represented.

3. The combination of the chambered draw ba1*,with the staple, the notched hook, the yoke,

applied to the said draw-bar, and constructed and to operate substantially as specified.

OLIVER PERRY HIX.

\Vitnesses:

RJH. EDDY, R. B. TORREY. 

